CAPITALISM
IS SICK
S I S I R C E H T T H G I F O T N A L P T S I L A I C THE SO
ISSUE #62 l APRIL 2020 SUGGESTED DONATION $2
Criminal Inaction
The world has been turned upside down. Millions of working people are now facing a risk to their health and livelihood because of the deadly COVID-19 epidemic and a collapse of the capitalist economy on a scale even bigger than the Great Recession of 2008-9. The twofold crisis of the pandemic and economic collapse are presented as the result of an unpreventable “act of God.” But in fact epidemics have increased fourfold globally in the last fifty years due primarily to environmental destruction. This pandemic was entirely predictable and in fact was predicted by scientists. What was certainly not inevitable was the total lack of preparation. What has really been exposed in the U.S. and in Europe is the devastating effect of cuts to public health care resources combined with privatization. Neoliberalism which massively increased social inequality is now set to take an even bigger toll. And while coronavirus is the trigger for the economic crisis it is also exposing the enormous fragility of the world economy which was already teetering on the edge of a recession with none of the underlying problems that caused the 2008-9 crisis resolved. Now Trump and the capitalists are being forced to pump hundreds of billions into the economy including directly into the pockets of working people. This is not because of a sudden concern for our fate but to save their system from complete collapse. And their measures will only slow down the crisis not solve it This is a crisis created at all levels by the diseased system of capitalism where the needs of the vast majority are subordinated to the dictates of profit for billionaire hoarders.
China is now presented as the “model” for how to contain the virus, but the truth is that the brutal state capitalist regime covered up the virus in late December and early January while persecuting whistleblower health care workers thus losing the opportunity to contain the outbreak at the start. Trump has matched the criminal behavior of the Chinese regime by denying that there was any threat for weeks on end and doing nothing to ramp up testing or prepare the health care resources necessary if this could not be immediately contained. He seeks to deflect by whipping up xenophobia, calling coronavirus the “China virus.” As a result of the criminal negligence of this delusional egomaniac, thousands and probably tens of thousands will needlessly die. Trump is now considering “reopening the economy” and urging people back to work in April in order to prevent a deeper collapse on Wall Street. This is against the near unilateral advice of health experts. In response to this, as we went to press the hashtag #NotDying4WallStreet went viral on Twitter as people expressed outrage at a system that would so blatantly put profits before people. But it’s not just Trump. The Democrats in Congress, and at the state and local level, with honorable exceptions, have been complicit in maintaining what is dangerously close to a code of silence about the true scale of the impending crisis, while physicians and epidemiologists globally have gone hoarse ringing the alarm bells. Even now, as we go to print, the U.S. has only tested 125 people per million, compared to 5,000 per million in South Korea which
had the first outbreak after China and where it has been relatively contained at least for now.
Immediate Overhaul of Health Care! Decades of capitalist policies, designed to maximize profit with no concern for consequences for society or workers, are responsible for the vulnerable state we are now in. Long supply-chains and cuts in public hospitals have left us totally unprepared to deal with this crisis. We now face an immediate, severe shortage of safety equipment in hospitals, a woeful lack of testing equipment, and a complete lack of any preparedness for this pandemic. J We demand the government immediately direct national resources to produce medically necessary equipment, ensure fast testing of the whole population, and equip medical staff and the public with necessary safety equipment. J Re-open closed hospitals, immediate construction of new hospitals to care for
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Tony Wilsdon
the coming influx of patients. For a massive accelerated hiring and training of medical staff. All with union rights and pay. J Establish free medical clinics in all neighborhoods. Take over empty buildings when necessary. J For a massive expenditure of public resources to be directed to develop a vaccine. Oppose Trump’s plan to privatize the vaccine. We need a public entity to ensure transparency and speedy production of a vaccine, free for all.
Establish Safe Working Conditions Workers across the country have been pressured by their bosses to step up despite a drastic shortage of safety equipment. Front-line workers like nurses, supermarket cashiers, truckers, warehouse, and delivery workers should not have to compromise their health in order to help society and receive a
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C O N T I N U AT I O N S
The Socialist Plan to Fight the Crisis paycheck. We need strong unions to fight for safety measures, rights on the job and increased pay for workers at risk. J All workers have the right to a safe workplace. No one should have to choose between income and safety. J Workers have the right to strike and refuse work until safety policies are in place. We call for the creation of elected worker committees to protect the needs of workers on the job. J Stop the attacks on union rights! No suspension of collective bargaining or the right to form a union. J For “hazard pay” to all essential workers. All essential workers should be paid at least “time and a half” during the pandemic. J Companies that refuse to operate under these rules should be taken into public ownership with democratic workers control and management of the economy.
Full Pay for the Unemployed J All workers to be paid full wages if they lose their job due to the pandemic or the recession. This includes the millions of workers who are falsely labeled “independent contractors” or work in the gig economy. J All workers without paid work should be eligible for monthly federal payments equivalent to a living wage of $15 an hour or $600 per week. J For a freeze on all rent and mortgage payments. For an emergency plan to house the homeless.
Protect People, not Profits Working people are not to blame for these twin crises. However, under the logic of capitalism, it is workers who will face the greatest hardships, while the super-rich CEOs and billionaires, whose policies provoked this crisis, are given trillions in government bailouts. And now it is being revealed that senators were
dumping millions in stock when they got early warnings about the scale of the coming pandemic. Neoliberal policies promoted by capitalist politicians have gutted public education and public services generally in past decades. As Bernie Sanders has pointed out, the lack of a Medicare for All system has left the public unprotected from this pandemic. Half of working-class families do not have the resources to deal with a $400 emergency. These capitalist politicians deserve nothing from us. We need to be prepared to take decisive measures against those who got us into this mess. J Free health care for all. End private profit decision making in medicine. For public ownership of medical facilities, the pharmaceutical industry, and medical device companies. J Rapidly re-tool industry to produce medical supplies, masks, hand sanitizer and other necessary items in the quantities actually needed. J Any corporations looking to exploit this crisis for profiteering should be brought into public ownership with democratic workers and community control. Confiscate the wealth of the billionaire hoarders with compensation to be given only on the basis of proven need. Use these resources to fund emergency medical supplies, food, and necessary services for all working people. J End mass incarceration and the inhumane detention of immigrants. Immediately release all non-violent offenders and those charged with minor crimes. Provide immediate safe public space to house the homeless where they can have access to free medical resources.
Capitalism has Failed – For a Socialist Society The 2020 Wall Street crash and attacks on living standards and social programs for workers are a direct result of the logic of
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capitalism. We can’t expect the capitalist system to do anything other than maximize the wealth of the billionaires who hoard resources and aim to make money from our misery. This crisis has exposed who really keeps society running: nurses, warehouse workers, grocery store workers, delivery drivers. We demand that the resources of society be democratically planned by those of us that do all the work – the majority. This means challenging the rule of the billionaires and taking the levers of power from their hands. This can only happen through public ownership of the wealth of the largest banks and corporations and for the economy to be democratically planned by elected representatives of the working class in the workplace and the community. The need for a socialist transformation of society has never been more urgent.
lives. This didn’t prevent economic collapse. The only reason they’re now giving workers some assistance is to try to prop up the capitalist economy. Trump is posing as a populist strongman, and we oppose any attempt to militarize society or whip up nationalist hate against people of color or immigrants. The enemies of working people are the billionaire hoarders and their representatives from both parties, not immigrants or workers from other countries. We can’t let the rich demonize the sick and vulnerable and let the billionaires who created this crisis off the hook. We will need to depend on our own strength, commitment, and organization to get through this crisis. The Democratic Party blocked Bernie Sanders, the only candidate with a program and a movement that could seriously address the crises working people face. Their backing of Biden gives Trump an opening to pose again as the more anti-establishment candidate addressing this situation despite the fact that he suppressed testing for months and has overseen the capitalist recklessness that intensified this tragedy. J Turn the Bernie Sanders campaign into a movement to address the pandemic with online, workplace and community organizing to win our socialist demands. J Bernie should not put his efforts behind the billionaire-backed Biden and instead launch a new party for working people. J For immediate online conferences of Sanders supporters to organize together to address the crisis and lay the basis for a new party by, of and for working people with no donations from corporations or billionaires. J For a Green New Deal that benefits working people. Take the fossil fuel companies into public ownership to immediately address climate change. Hire and train tens of millions of workers to help build a new democratically planned economy based on non-carbon energy. For people and the planet, not corporate profits! J
We Need a New Party to Address the Crisis Working people can still take action to change things! Online petitions, strikes, workplace organizing, and other efforts have drawn concessions from the Democrats and Republicans at the federal, state, and local levels. The more we demand and fight for, the more they will be forced to concede. At the same time, both parties’ leaderships are bought and paid for by the billionaire class, and they will do what it takes to prop up the same billionaires who put us in unsafe workplaces, refuse to pay their taxes, and aim to profit from our death and suffering. As we go to press, the Senate has passed a massive stimulus bill that includes $1,200 one-time payments to most adults and a significant extension of unemployment insurance. But it also includes a $500 billion bailout for corporate America. At the same time the Federal Reserve states it is prepared to pump literally $1 trillion a day into the financial markets if necessary. The government has already given trillions to prop up Wall Street which gambles on our Socialist ideas are needed now more than ever. The coronavirus pandemic is exposing the complete inability of a profitdriven system to meet the needs of workers who are in many instances being left to die. Rather than backing down, Socialist Alternative is stepping up our work during this pandemic. In Seattle, we have launched a series of online petitions for free doctor visits, free transit, and a tax on Amazon to pay for urgently needed relief for working class families. We have already won a number of these demands! We have launched a national blog called Workers Speak Out to give real voice to workers on the frontlines of this crisis. We post daily the experiences of nurses, grocery workers, airport workers, pharmacists, warehouse workers, and more. Two million people have signed a Rent
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Strike 2020 petition initiated by socialist truck driver Josh Collins who is running for Congress in Washington State! We are working with others to transform these millions of signatures into a network to fight for what working people need. All of these bold initiatives require money and resources. In the midst of this pandemic we have to sustain our full-time organizers, our publications, as well as investing in new digital organizing tools. As an example, we are hoping that some of our members and supporters may be able to contribute some or all of their government check to Socialist Alternative. But we are asking everyone who wants to see a clear socialist voice continue to organize even under the Coronavirus lockdown to help us with this work. Even small donations will make a big difference. Please make a donation to Socialist Alternative today. J
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POLITICS
Bernie: Don’t Drop Out or Endorse Biden!
We Need Bernie’s Movement More Than Ever Bryan Koulouris We live in a time of extreme crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic is reaching every corner of the globe. As thousands of people perish, the world economy is collapsing. Millions in this country are faced with crippling uncertainty for their health, their jobs, their social services, and their loved ones. Yet we have a delusional narcissist occupying the White House who – for crucial weeks – denied the threat we face from the pandemic. What’s the alternative to him being put forward by the Democratic Party establishment? Joe Biden showed his true colors when he said, in the midst of this health crisis, that he would veto Medicare for All legislation if it were to reach him in the Oval Office. Now, Biden’s gone missing in this crisis, and #WhereIsJoeBiden trended on twitter. We need to learn the painful lessons of 2016 when Hillary Clinton lost the election. Having Biden as Trump’s main opponent would give Trump an opportunity to pose as an “anti-establishment” strong man against a bumbling lifelong politician. We can’t afford to take this risk, and poll after poll shows Bernie would resoundingly defeat Trump. We also can’t let our movement behind Bernie become scattered and disorganized. A fighting movement is needed now more than ever to bail out working people from the double calamity of economic devastation and the pandemic. Tens of thousands of activists in the Sanders campaign need to stay organized and pull together online petitions, workplace solidarity, mutual aid, virtual organizing, and political education that can give us the tools to minimize this crisis and pave the way for fundamental change of the broken system that got us into this calamity. We need bold leadership for working people in these trying times, and Bernie Sanders should not drop out of this race. We have built a powerful movement together to not only get Bernie elected, but to win Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, tuition-free college, and a society in which billionaires do not exist. This movement would be dealt a blow if Bernie were to endorse the dishonest servant of big business, Joe Biden. Now more than ever, we need a determined struggle to demand socialist policies to address this global pandemic and economic catastrophe facing working people.
A Sick System Working
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uncertainty, a lack of available virus tests, mass layoffs, reduced pay from reduced hours, ongoing workplace safety violations, and the threat of eviction from being unable to pay mortgages and rent. At the very same time, the federal government has given trillions of dollars to billionaire investors, big banks, large corporations and Wall Street. These big business hoarders and price gougers should instead be taxed to pay for working people’s needs, not given this grotesque level of “corporate welfare.” Socialist truck driver and candidate for Congress Josh Collins initiated a petition calling on governors across the country to provide a moratorium on rents and mortgage payments. Over two million people have already signed on! Now Socialist Alternative is working with others to organize those who signed this petition into a force to fight for the far-reaching relief we need. The same can be done with the vast networks of volunteers that have been fighting to get Bernie into the White House as an “organizer in chief.” During this crisis, Bernie’s strength has been clear: his videos on how to deal with the pandemic have been excellent and showed some of the bold policies necessary. At the same time, we’ve seen Bernie’s weak approach of refusing to go on the attack against the corporate-controlled Democratic Party establishment. At the March 15 debate, Bernie exposed some of Joe Biden’s most flagrant lies, but this was “too little, too late.” For months, Bernie has been calling Joe Biden his “friend.” This obscures the reality of the situation: Biden is the servant of billionaires, warmongers, and polluters who are hoarding the resources of society. These corporate crooks are the enemies of our health and progress.
How Did We Get Here? In 20 straight primaries, including in states where Biden won by a landslide, exit polls showed that, a majority of people support Medicare for All, and in Texas a majority said they prefer socialism to capitalism! As John Nichols of The Nation put it, “The voters did not favor the centrist stances of the former vice president. They preferred the ‘radical’ ideals of the candidate he was defeating: Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.” How did the establishment pull this off? There was a campaign of mass psychological manipulation by every major media outlet saying only Biden could defeat Trump and resorting to out and out red baiting when
Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden at the first head-to-head debate of the Democratic Primaries on March 15. polls show that Bernie would fare far better against the Predator in Chief. Voter suppression with massive lines in working class communities also helped Biden in some cases. The Democratic Party establishment all united against Bernie with a slew of candidates dropping out to endorse Biden. Elizabeth Warren refused to unite the “progressives” by supporting Bernie, instead having a Super PAC wage a failed last-ditch effort to give her a viable campaign. In reality, the whole primary process in the Democratic Party is rigged against genuine progressive, pro-working-class candidates like Bernie. Unfortunately, most union leaders refused to support Bernie, the most pro-labor viable Presidential candidate in history. Despite some notable exceptions like National Nurses United and the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE), most union leaderships either sat out the election or played a bureaucratic role in backing Biden without votes by the members of their unions. Both the leaders of the powerful Amalgamated Transit Union and the National Educators Association said that they conducted a poll of their members before endorsing Biden, but thousands of workers in these unions say that no such poll took place. This is particularly tragic because our labor unions are at a crossroads. Union activists can provide leadership in this crisis by fighting for all working people against the hoarding, price gouging billionaires who profit from our misery. If we fight back and organize with a class struggle approach, then we can win safer working conditions, hazard pay, and more resources to address the pandemic. On the other hand, if we try to snuggle up to the ruling class and beg for the diminishing
crumbs that fall from their table, then the COVID and economic crises will only deepen.
Where Should We Go Now? Now, instead of putting our organizing efforts behind Joe Biden, we need to show socialist leadership and help lay the basis for a new party that fights unambiguously in the interests of working people. We hope Bernie will join us in this effort. The desperate situation cries out for a working-class movement that stops at nothing to break the power of the billionaire class. Four years ago, when the DNC was handing the nomination to Hillary Clinton, Socialist Alternative initiated a petition for Bernie to run all the way to November and launch a new party. Over 140,000 people signed this petition to continue a strong working-class movement. If he would have taken our advice, then Bernie could have defeated Trump and Hillary both in 2016. Even if Trump were to have won in 2016, a new party could have been an organizing center against the agenda of the right wing and the billionaire class. This would have helped us win more victories against Trump’s agenda and could have put us in a position to defeat him now without having to go through the rigged Democratic primary. Right now, people are extremely worried for our loved ones, health, and economic livelihoods. Together, we can organize for the relief we so urgently need and build the movement in our workplaces, communities, and campuses to fight for a world with rational, democratic planning rather than the profit-driven misery of capitalist crisis. J
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